SingleSpeed Climbing - How To?

Okay in this thread about lower back pain (toward the bottom of page 1 and top of page 2) a couple of people talked about rocking the hips as opposed to torquing on the handlebars. I want to know more. Can someone please point out articles on this or books or enlighten me as to how this is done? I think there are several other people watching that thread who can also benefit from this information.

I'm big with powerful legs but find that when I come to a hill or steep climb I've got the handlebars tweaked as I pull/push against them to leverage my legs down on the pedals. It works but I don't think this is optimal and it does tire me as well as put undue strain on my back.

A lot of it has to do with having a round pedal stroke and using your whole body (which in turn has an enormous amount to do with good core strength). You'll be trusting/pulling your core forward during what is typically the dead part of the pedal stroke. Do the above while pulling back with your lower foot and pushing forward with your top foot, then set your weight over the leading foot to drive the pedal down which will naturally move your torso backwards and downwards, then repeat.

Having read the first page of the thread you cite, I think the other OP was missing the point to a certain extent. Lifting weights as most do it does little to increase core strength, and if you're getting low back pain from singlespeeding (if you don't have a lingering injury and it happens not in the course of muscle adaptation to a new riding style/stress load) then you have a weak core.

Here is the best advice i have gotten and it's not about torquing my hips, which does really help but i was told to keep my toes up and pretend you are trying to scrape the ground with your heels, gave me a smoother more efficient pedal stroke and set up my foot to pull up with the upstroke

Originally Posted by dontheclysdale

Okay in this thread about lower back pain (toward the bottom of page 1 and top of page 2) a couple of people talked about rocking the hips as opposed to torquing on the handlebars. I want to know more. Can someone please point out articles on this or books or enlighten me as to how this is done? I think there are several other people watching that thread who can also benefit from this information.

I'm big with powerful legs but find that when I come to a hill or steep climb I've got the handlebars tweaked as I pull/push against them to leverage my legs down on the pedals. It works but I don't think this is optimal and it does tire me as well as put undue strain on my back.

Here is the best advice i have gotten and it's not about torquing my hips, which does really help but i was told to keep my toes up and pretend you are trying to scrape the ground with your heels, gave me a smoother more efficient pedal stroke and set up my foot to pull up with the upstroke

I have no idea what people are talking about but adding to this the best pedal stroke is toes pointed down as they come over the top of the crank but your heal should be down (toes up) and the bottom. I do this even when standing (google it, roadies do it all the time) and I swear I have gained 10% more power and endurance up hills from it. Could be to do with the hips but hip swinging is salsa dancing so who knows...

I stay seated as long as it's comfortable, and try to drag my heel like I'm scraping mud off the bottom of my foot. When I do stand, I also consciously pull up with my foot on the upstroke to maximize power. I'm also of course using upper body strength and bar ends (Cane Creek Ergo II's) to help maximize leverage. Bar ends really help for me when climbing both standing or seated.

I know not many people use them anymore but I find that bar ends are essential for me to climb efficiently. I also like the added hand positioning it helps prevent the back from tiring prematurely. Typically on group rides I go on less than 1 in 10 use em anymore but I fail to see why they fell out of favor.

a better bar would put your arms in a better position, which would feel better on the shoulders, directly improving your back pain. yes...

i use mary bars. they're nice. sometimes i stand up, over the bars... on the steep ****, i gotta lean back to keep some traction on the back tire... my back only ever hurts when i'm in the tunnels for too long, damn trees =)

heels down, yes. makes the calves feel a lot better on long rides. as for back pain... meh. just relax the muscles... xen riding, with my xen helmet

Seriously, pointing your toes up is simply a good way to learn the feel of a good spin, as you can not hammer down on your pedals if your toes are pointed up; your not supposed to keep pedaling like that, just use it as a tool, like pedaling with one leg. As far as saving your handlebars, one technique is as simple not concentrating so much on your down stroke. Since most will have an acceptable down strike anyway, concentrate on your up stroke. when your pedal is at 4 O'clock, pretend you are scrapping crud off your shoe and try to pull up your knee using your hips. Another technique is to try and pull your pedals apart when you standing. The action would be pulling your pedal up on one side and appose this action by pushing down on the other, then reverse the action. With a little practice, you'll be able to climb without pulling on your handlebars at all; you'll simply be countering the force of your down stroke with the force of your upstroke; the result being a rocking motion. Also remember you won't be climbing the same as a geared bike. Usually on a geared bike, you only stand to clear some obstacle or a particularly steep portion of the trail, so you tend to give it maximum effort. With a SS, you may be standing for 1/2 a mile or more, so you need to slow down and find cadence you can live with for a while..What you'll eventually find is you will ride using a combination of these techniques, switch from one to the other, and/or figure out something else that works for you..thats why SS is such a hoot! Oh and as Spastook said, barends work very well for climbing, by centering you over the front tire and not standing so straight up and down..

Dontheclysdale and the Diesel I think I know what you are asking for.
I have been riding a ton for the last few years and started on a geared 29er then to rigid 29er SS, now full squish 29er SS.
When I started the SS thing I had to learn how to climb all over again. Now I canít even ride a geared bike uphill.
I will attempt to put into words what my body and bike do while climbing:
#1 I always stand Ė even on the near flat stuff, I am out of the saddle
#2 I very rarely pull on the handle bars - I pull to the rear but never up.
#3 Balance, and rhythm is the key (and speed!) The steeper it gets the faster I try to go.
#4 Clip in peddles is a must! you need to be able to push and pull the peddles all the way around!
I only have power on the down strokes - that leaves two huge gaps.
I donít care what anyone has to say about a 360 degree power stroke Ė that works great seated on a geared bike, where you can pull on the bars and jam the seat up your a$$. I canít apply power that way now because I am going slow, and I am standing. The only thing I have is momentum, the weight of my body, and the strength of my legs. (I USE LITTLE TO NO ARM ACTION!!!)
Ok - so I am approaching a mild hill. I am standing Ė balanced with 10% Ė 20% of my weight on the bars (I could almost ride with no hands). As the hill gets steeper I begin to lope the bike forward and back to cover the dead spot.
This is my key and I will try to explain it several ways:
I will use minutes of a clock to diagram. From 7 minutes to 22 minutes I have power.
As I am pushing down on the peddle from minute 7 to 22 my body is moving forward on the bike.
Again another way Ė from minute 7 to 22 I am pulling the bike to the rear with the bars making my body move faster than the bike.
Yet another way Ė From minute 7 to 22 my body is moving faster uphill than the bike.
At minute 23 to minute 37 I pull the bike up the hill with the bars. This is the loping action. This is to cover the dead spot in the peddle stroke.
Start again at minute 37 thru minute 52 I have a nice smooth stroke. Again my body in moving faster up the hill than my bike. So as I push down on the peddle I am pulling rearward on the bars. Balance is everything here - 20% of my weight on the bars and the other 80% of my weight is pushing down on the peddles. Note - If you are pulling up on the bars to put more power into the peddles you canít lope the bike. I always try to think of it like this. I am moving the bike up the hill with the weight of my body and the power in my legs.
I canít put more power into the peddles by pulling up on the bars. I need to lean into the hill and use my weight as leverage.
At minute 52 through minute 7 I am covering the dead spot again by pulling the bike forward (up the hill).
I can ride most anything (when in good shape) on a 29er with 32 X 20 gearing
I hope this doesnít sound like I am speaking a different language.
I will watch this thread and will try and explain this another way if this sounds like crap.

^^ It sounds complex in words, but once you get it the loping speeder describes is a big help. However, I am only in the habit of doing it on VERY steep stuff; I'm generally near to a complete stop and I need to get the pedal over the dead spot to where I can stand on it again. I had not considered trying it when I'm moving at reasonable speed.

It's certainly easier to get the 'feel' for it on something very steep or when you are moving very slowly- this makes punching the bike forward feel much more intuitive IMO.

At minute 23 to minute 37 I pull the bike up the hill with the bars. This is the loping action. This is to cover the dead spot in the peddle stroke.

Hey speeder3800, do you mean "push" the bike uphill with the bars?

I have occasionally rocked the bike from front to back instead of side to side. I think this is what you call "loping"? It works really well to get your cadence up if you've been bogging down. I prefer a faster cadence when I SS compared to my friend, but my heart and lungs can't always support it.

Originally Posted by aka brad

With a SS, you may be standing for 1/2 a mile or more, so you need to slow down and find cadence you can live with for a while..

Hey Brad, this is SO true, and also hard to figure out sometimes for me. At the bottom of a long hill I know by heart I will often times go very slow. This is also why its so hard to ride SS (or gears) at someplace you are not familiar with... because you never know what "a while" will be.

Speeder, i understand exactly what you described. The problem is that i cant seem to make myself do it even though i know what i am supposed to do. I end up trying to mash the pedals so hard that i have to pull up on the bars just to keep from pushing myself over the bars.

The Diesel - I think you need to spend more time on lesser slopes. Something that requires about 50% of your effort. This rhythm will become more natural if you don't try too hard. Just keep in mind the theory. Itís also faster than you are probably thinking. The bike is moving forward and back twice every full stroke.
The loping I described is also not a steep climbing weapon. This only works on low and medium grades.
If I were riding a geared bike and needed to be in the granny gear, leaning forward using all the climbing tricks I know. I would be pushing my SS. I canít climb stuff on the SS that I can clear with my geared bike. One of the reasons I switched to SS was because I got bored with the gears. I wanted something more challenging. I like to fiddle around and see what I can get away with.
Just shy of ďtoo steepĒ - I would try to hit the hill with some speed and keep spinning as fast as I could and climb with brute force until I either make it to the top or give up and walk. I give up and walk more than not when I am not it good shape. I am here to have fun not beat myself with a stick. I will walk the steeps and conserve my energy for the rest of the climb.
Momentum is your friend. I used to ride in an area with short steep patches mixed with flats and rolling hills. (The steeps were almost impassable with gears.) But they were short and most had a stretch of trail where I could build up some momentum. I would get flying and scream ahead to avoid a collision. After a good bit of practice I could nail these patches with the SS. Nothing better than cooking past a guy - pushing his geared bike.
I find pulling up on the bars counter-productive. Mashing just spins the tire. Gearing is important too. With gearing too tall you may not have the mechanical leverage to climb (without crazy powerful legs!)
I canít climb with 32X16 at all.
A few other tricks I have used to get this figured out.
I use Kenda small Block 8 tires (not very much tread) all most all year. I ride in a wet sloppy, leaf, moss, muck covered area. (throw in some loose rocks and wet wood obstacles.) With these tires mashing is the kiss of death. Finesse is the key. Smooth stokes and good balance.
Another thing I did was to spend a lot of time working on my track stand. I cleared out the garage and spent time - just standing there on my bike. Now when I get in a pickle on the trail or get stuck behind someone going up-hill. I can come to a stop and just wait to make my move. Also when I spin the rear tire I can stay on the bike through more than a full stroke. If you put your foot down you are done. So donít put your foot down. Jam the brakes, regroup and begin again before you bail.
I also have very wide bars. 710 MM with stubby bar ends. http://www.ninerbikes.com/fly.aspx?l...122&parts=true
I get a ton of balance and leverage out of this set up. Medium steep - I am on the bar ends. Little steeper - I move to the grips. Even steeper I would cover the brakes with my index finger (both hands) I want access to the brakes in case I need to stop a spin or pause for a moment.
Sorry for the long post. I hope some of my ramblings are helpful.

First, get Mountain Bike Action July 2006 page 102 by Travis Brown. Study these skills. The dead zone was mentioned, yes this is where you shift wieght forwards, you are throwing your bike, then shift your wieght backwards for traction, repeat and repeat, you are apearing to do push-ups you are throughing your wieght back and forth through the dead zone, when you are back or wieght is to the rear your goal is traction, thrust then throw. These actions are done fast, this skill is done on reallatvally steep sections. Climbing is done best locked out front and back, my rig is geared 32x16 26er w/bar-ends. There are other variations, learn this one and you figure out others.

Also for clarification, I've never ridden with Diesel but we ride the same trails here in Houston. We don't have the epic one-mile slow grades. We have these very fast ups and downs. The ups are usually covered in roots prior to the hill and in many cases all along the face of the hill. While very few of these are over 100' in duration, they are usually very steep - similar to the angle of a concrete bayou bank (white walls.) If I had to guesstimate the angles of these climbs are in the neighborhood of 20-60 degrees.